1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a treatment device for a human or animal body or parts thereof with a low-frequency, electro-magnetic field coil surrounding it.
2. Prior Art
The device according to the invention is very useful in the field of physical therapy and for the rehabilitation of people. This novelty provides an improvement of the known method for use of a low-frequency electromagnetic field, called low-frequency therapy.
It is an object of the invention to increase the effectiveness of low-frequency therapy and to broaden the scope of its use.
This object is attained by means of the use of low-frequency therapy together with small magnetic plates disposed on the subject of the treatment.
Advantageous embodiments are recited in the dependent claims.
Advantageously, the small magnetic plates are comprised of permanent magnet material and are disposed at a distance from each other in a cover or bandage and maintained therein pivotable in respect to each other, so that they can easily be disposed and maintained on the subject of the treatment, but perform pivoting movements in the electromagnetic field because of the interaction of the magnetic fields which, supplementing the therapeutic effect of the magnetic fields, advantageously provide a therapeutic massage effect.
In an advantageous design of the total device, the coil arrangement used for generating the low-frequency field which encloses the subject of the treatment and the permanent magnet arrangement, i.e. the magnet support cover or bandage, is comprised of flexible coils, which simplifies the transport and handling of the arrangement.
An advantageous design of the device is supplied by a low-frequency pulse generator with a pre-determined frequency and amplitude.
Medical scientific tests using the novel device have shown its advantageous effects, compared with previously known devices. Tests on people and animals have shown a considerably higher degree of effectiveness in the treatment of post-traumatic conditions compared with only the use of the previously known low-frequency therapy. The tests were performed with an electro-magnetic low-frequency pulse emitter of two designs, namely: firstly by generating pulses of a frequency pre-determined in a range between 0.5 to 30 Hz, the pulses of which comprised waves of sinusoidal or semi-sinusoidal shape having a base frequency of 60 Hz, and secondly by use of rectangular pulses with a predetermined frequency in a range between 1 to 1,000 Hz. The arrangement of the field coils was of a known form in these tests.
Part of the novel device is a specially designed magnetic cover. It consists of a plurality of small permanent magnets, which are oriented in a particular way and are separated from each other and arranged in respect to each other in a particular manner. This causes a very subtle vibration of the rigid, movably disposed magnets in an electromagnetic low-frequency field, which causes micro-massage of the vessels covered by it. The primary effect of this micro-massage is the widening of the small blood vessels and the improvement of the flow in the lymphatic system, i.e. improved draining of the lymphatic system. Additionally, this type of massage results in a recuperative effect on the affected skeletal musculature. These effects are added on top of the known positive effects of magnetic and low-frequency therapy and result in a synergistic effect. The effect of the massage already becomes noticeable after a few minutes and the relaxation and increased blood flow caused by it make it possible that the low-frequency therapy, the effects of which are only noticeable over extended periods of time, can operate more efficiently.
It has been shown in an advantageous manner that the use of bandages equipped with permanent magnets, which are used as compresses for limbs with injuries, for example with strains or lacerated muscles, and which are excited to vibratory massage in the low-frequency field, avoids the disadvantageous congestion of blood or lymphatic fluid, common with bandages, behind the bandage in the areas of the extremities far from the heart, so that quicker healing of the injury, free of pain and the need for follow-up treatment, was accomplished.
In a first embodiment, in particular suitable for the human body, the field coil arrangement is disposed on a bed, with coil guides extending in the longitudinal direction. The coil guides advantageously extend above and below the surface of the bed and of the body to be treated. The upper coil half is advantageously fastened in a pivotable manner, thus making possible unrestricted lying down and rising. The bed has rollers, preferably blockable rollers.
A second embodiment of the invention has one, or preferably a plurality of coils surrounding the body, which are slidably disposed and supported next to each other on a mobile bed and the coil axes of which are oriented in the longitudinal direction of the bed.
A further advantageous embodiment of the coil arrangement consists of supporting them on a mobile platform. The inner dimensions of the coil are large enough that it can surround the body of an animal and it extends below the platform, laterally and above the body of the animal and with its axis in the direction of the body of the animal. The coil extends far enough upward so that the animal can enter it and walk through it without difficulties. The platform is provided with a trailer hitch and the device can be used as transport for animals in an advantageous manner.
A further advantageous embodiment of the invention, usable with various arrangements of the coils, is the result of burying small permanent magnet plates in a plastic sheath which is supported on a plastic frame, freely movable and pivotable within limits, by means of a loose nut-spring connection on opposite sides. These button-like frames equipped with small magnetic plates can be cast in a plastic body or fixed on a cover.
In a special embodiment, the plastic body is in the form of an oral insert, the movably supported small magnetic plates contacting the bases of the teeth on both sides and in this way are used for massaging them.
A further advantageous embodiment relates to the low-frequency current generator encompassing a plurality of controllable pulse generators which are individually connected with the several magnetic coils disposed along the body and which are controlled by a control device in such a way, that they impart the pulses to the coils in a pre-determined phase correlation and predetermined frequency. By means of this type of phase-shifted excitation, i.e. advancing in waves from the feet towards the head or towards the heart, the small magnetic plates excited in this manner provide an advantageous peristaltic draining effect. The body is covered to a large degree by a cover embedded with small magnetic plates.
Expanded and new areas of employment of the magnetic massage therapy result from the above special embodiments. Treatment and regenerative stimulation of the tissues of the oral cavity and of the gums becomes advantageously possible by means of the oral insert in connection with various diseases, in particular with periodontosis, because a major cause of this disease is a reduced micro-circulation in the tissues, which is counteracted by means of this treatment. Treatment is very simple, because the patient merely needs to insert the denture-like oral insert and then lie for some time on the bed with the field coil arrangement.
A further advantageous embodiment of the button-like magnet holders consists in disposing them on certain acupressure points, depending on the particular indication, and then to expose the body to the stimulating alternating magnetic field.
Treatment of animals is in particular applicable to horses prior to or following stresses caused by sports events. The disposition of the magnetic field coils in the transport vehicle makes it possible to easily treat the animals immediately prior to or after the sports event at the location of the event. It is also possible to provide treatment without a loss of time during the movement to or from the event. The movable small magnetic plates are embedded in suitable covers or leggings.
In a preferred manner the control device for the pulse generators has two different programs. One works in the manner of a progressive phase shift of the pulses in such a way that the various field coils generate a sort of peristaltic wave in the small magnetic plates. Another type is the provision of different frequencies to the field coils distributed over the body, where the frequencies are varied at intervals or slowly and continuously, so that the interferences of the different frequencies act on the treated body.